Bible Strands
Matthew 12:3
Jesus replied, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses the Pharisees immediately after they accuse His disciples of unlawfully plucking grain on the Sabbath. He responds directly to their legal charge by invoking a prior scriptural event.
The words — οὐκ (ouk) = not [G3756] and ἀνέγνωτε (anegnōte) = you have read [G314] combine to form a rhetorical question that presupposes the audience's familiarity with the written text. The construction functions as a challenge to their interpretive framework rather than a genuine inquiry.
The thread — The identical question appears in Luke 6:3 and Mark 2:25, while the referenced event connects to the broader narrative surrounding 1 Samuel 21:3. These passages collectively establish a pattern of Jesus appealing to prior scripture to redefine legal boundaries.
Why it lands — The verse requires the reader to acknowledge that scriptural precedent can override ritual prohibition when human need is present. It shifts the focus from strict adherence to the letter of the law toward the practical application of mercy and necessity.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;
Cross-references
- 1 Samuel 21:3 Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever can be found.”
- Luke 6:3 Jesus replied, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?
- Mark 2:25 Jesus replied, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need?
- Matthew 21:16 “Do You hear what these children are saying?” they asked. “Yes,” Jesus answered. “Have you never read: ‘From the mouths of children and infants You have ordained praise’?”
- Mark 12:10 Have you never read this Scripture: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
- Matthew 12:5 Or haven’t you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and yet are innocent?
- Matthew 22:31 But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what God said to you:
- Mark 12:26 But concerning the dead rising, have you not read about the burning bush in the Book of Moses, how God told him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?
- Matthew 19:4 Jesus answered, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’
- Luke 10:26 “What is written in the Law?” Jesus replied. “How do you read it?”